Striker Norshahrul Idlan Talaha blasted two late goals against Laos tonight to lead Malaysia to their second straight victory and place them within striking distance of securing a place in this year’s AFF Suzuki Cup semi-finals.
Norshahrul bagged the winning goal against Cambodia in the opening game and today turned hero again, this time as Malaysia came from a goal down to stun Laos 3-1 at the National Stadium. It was no surprise that he was again named the Honor Man-of-the-Match.
Talented midfielder, Phithack Kongmathilath stunned the 20,000 fans with a screaming freekick in the seventh minute. But the hosts recovered just eight minutes later through skipper Mohamad Zaquan Adha Adb Radzak.
The Malaysians, who needed three points to enhance their chances of moving to the next stage, went on the offensive in desperate hunt for the winning goal but all their efforts were off the mark. With time rapidly running out and the game edging to a draw, the 32-year-old Norshahrul, who was part of the winning AFF Suzuki Cup team in 2010, scrambled Malaysia ahead in the 86th minute before ensuring full points with a diving header in added time.
For the record, Tan Cheng Hoe was also part of the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup winning team, then as an assistant.
Cheng Hoe was obviously pleased with having six points in the bag. “Overall, they performed well today, they played their hearts out. In the first half, they were a bit sloppy. The three changes in the second half made the difference.”
Cheng Hoe replaced Muhammad Syazwan Zainon at the restart and in the 62nd minute, he made a double substitution involving Muhammad Syafiq Ahmad and Muhammad Safawi Rasid. The replacements were Muhammad Akhyar (46th) Muhammad Akhyar Abdul Rashid and Ahmad Hazwan Bakri. It was a move that paid off handsomely.
Laos assistant coach was Firdaus Kassim, stepping in for chief coach V. Sundramoorthy who had lost his voice said that the had a game plan which the team adhered to. “Our defence played well and frustrated the Malaysians.” He said as the Malaysian attackers could not penetrate, the Malaysians attempted long shots.
Meanwhile, several hours before the match, there was a heavy downpour but fortunately it eased up closer to the start of the game. The wet pitch certainly did not affect the Laos players who charged into action. And after just seven minutes, Phithack stunned the home fans with a cracking freekick that caught the hosts by surprise.
The Malaysian fans quickly threw their support behind their team, they knew that it was crucial for the hosts to get back into the game. Cheng Hoe thanked the fans for their untiring efforts. “The fans were great and I thank them for their support.”
In the next Group A matches, Malaysia will face Vietnam in Hanoi next while Laos hosts Myanmar in Vientiane on Nov 16.
